Double Jack | Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%

4/5  rDev -7.6%

4.75/5  rDev +9.7%

Gray stuff. Drinks well

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4.25/5  rDev -1.8%

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%

4.75/5  rDev +9.7%

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%

4/5  rDev -7.6%

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%

4.92/5  rDev +13.6%

4.8/5  rDev +10.9%

4/5  rDev -7.6%

4/5  rDev -7.6%

3.6/5  rDev -16.9%

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%

3.5/5  rDev -19.2%

3/5  rDev -30.7%

I am a big fan of double IPAs, but I was not a big fan of this beer. Surprisingly, Firestone Walker managed to outpace the considerable malt bill with an extreme hop bitterness that made me think of a slightly rotten lemon sitting in a dank basement. That's too far, of course, but compared to other double IPAs I have enjoyed, this was not even in the top twenty. Perhaps it has to do with the attenuation of the yeast, but there was not enough malt sweetness to counterbalance the hops in this monster.

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4.75/5  rDev +9.7%

4.3/5  rDev -0.7%

3/5  rDev -30.7%

4.76/5  rDev +9.9%

4.92/5  rDev +13.6%

4.75/5  rDev +9.7%

22 oz. bottle; brewed on 10/16/2014, opened on Dec 10, 2014.

Poured into 16 oz Nonic pint glass.

App: Pours a pure, translucent copper; copious cream-colored head that dissipates with lovely lacing.

Sm: Very light pine and resin notes, tangerine and lemon zest. Traces of sweet (rather than hot) alcohol.

Taste: Initial impressions are warm, honeyed malt - a touch of sweetness, but without any caramel flavors. The hops are assertive without being overwhelming; a floral, almost lavender character, with the merest trace of citrus. What's amazing is that the bass note of sweetness persists throughout.

Overall, this is an astonishingly balanced double IPA. If I drank this completely blind, I would never think it was a double - there's very little heat to it, and the hops are assertive without destroying the palate. There's a characteristic freshness to everything Firestone Walker does, and it really comes through in this beer.

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